This item costs more in Sacramento than anywhere else in the continental United States

Topping off homemade pasta or pizza cost more in the Sacramento area than anywhere else in the continental United States last year, according to the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index.

The index examined the 2017 prices of household goods across 269 metropolitan areas based on data collected by more than 300 independent researchers. An eight-ounce canister of Kraft pre-grated Parmesan cheese cost an average of $5.88 in Sacramento, edging out Stockton ($5.76), Manhattan ($5.40) and San Francisco ($5.35) as the most expensive in any mainland state.

The same eight-ounce canister costs just $2.85 in Dalton, Ga., and a median price of of $4.04 across the United States. The Honolulu metropolitan area's high cost of living and transportation expenses boosted Kraft Parmesan prices to $6.84 per canister there.

Parmesan cheese wasn't the only item on the index to make even the most lactose-loving Northern California blanch. A 12-inch thin crust cheese pizza cost $14.69 at Pizza Huts around Sacramento, the most expensive of any metropolitan area but Stockton ($14.94) and Honolulu ($18.49). The same pizza cost just $6.99 in Stateboro, Ga., according to the council's data.

Explore where you live.

Groceries cost 26 percent more in Oakland and San Francisco than the U.S. median, trailing only Seattle (27 percent), Manhattan (39 percent) and Honolulu (62 percent). The 26 grocery items monitored cost 17 percent more in Sacramento than the median.

The Bee's Benjy Egel is launching a new effort to cover Sacramento's dining and beer scene. Please send tips and story ideas by email at begel@sacbee.com, on Twitter @BenjyEgel or by phone at (916) 321-1052.

Taste of Sacramento focuses on the region’s hundreds of neighborhoods. The Pocket Greenhaven area is diverse and feature food & drink flavors like Caffe Latte coffee, Edokko Japanese cuisine and Banzai Sushi.